Page 47 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

RICK

C hessie popped a piece of star-shaped fruit into her mouth. Her eyes widened in delight and she reached for another piece before sipping her morning tea, a Hawaiian blend of tropical flowers and some honey.

We were sitting at the edge of our private plunge pool on our patio with our feet in the water while we ate a morning room-service delivery spread of fruits, pastries, and cheese. Chessie had already made her way through two small croissants drizzled in chocolate when she reached for a third.

“Careful,” I warned. “You might give yourself a stomach ache and I’d hate for you to miss the surprise I have planned for you later today.”

Chessie immediately pulled her hand away from the silver tray of cream puffs, croissants, mini muffins, and fritters. Instead, she reached for her tea and sipped that while she swung her legs and pushed her feet through the water. “When are you and Verity leaving?”

“As soon as Jennifer gets here. I told her to bring her bathing suit in case you wanted to spend the afternoon in the pool before I come back and get you.”

“How long are you going to be?”

“Not too long, kiddo. We just have some last-minute things to work out with our wedding planner. A couple of hours, I assume.”

Chessie stared into the pool. “It’s always longer than you say it’s going to be.”

“I’ll do my best to stay on time today. But it’s important, especially to Verity. You know how hard she’s been working to make this day perfect. I don’t want to cut our meeting short if there are still details she wants to go over. You understand, right?”

“I thought perfection didn’t exist?”

“Hmm.” She got smarter every day. Without a doubt. One minute, I was sitting there thinking she’s my baby girl, and the next, I’m reminded that it’s only a matter of time before she’s walking circles around me.

“True,” I said. “Perfection doesn’t exist. But there isn’t anything wrong with wanting something to be perfect, especially if it’s something you’ve dreamed of for your entire life.”

Chessie stared into the pool. She wore a frown like mine. Her brow was creased and her lips pursed together in a firm, straight line.

“Do you disagree?” I asked as I leaned back on my hands.

Chessie gnawed at the inside of her cheek and then shook her head. “No.”

“But?”

I could always sense when there was something else lingering in the back of her mind that she hadn’t given voice to.

Chessie was an intuitive and empathetic person.

It was something I’d had to be mindful of.

Being a full-time, working single father was an obstacle in our relationship but it was one we’d come out the other side from.

A few years ago, I couldn’t separate work from home life and it got between us in a bad way.

I refused to ever let that happen again. Chessie was and forever would be my priority.

“Does it bother you that this wedding is taking up a lot of my time?” I asked in an effort to guide her into voicing her concerns.

“No.”

“What is it then, kiddo? You can tell me.”

She shrugged. Yep. Something was definitely up.

Finally, she sighed and leaned back on her hands just like I was. “Sometimes, I just think you’re not getting your perfect wedding, Daddy.”

I felt my eyebrows creeping up toward my hairline and I tried to erase the surprise off my face. “That’s what’s bothering you?”

She shrugged again. “Yeah.”

“Chessie.” I pulled my feet out of the pool and turned to face her.

“I’m not settling for a wedding I don’t want.

There is just a difference between me and Verity.

I don’t care about the flowers or the table settings or the chandeliers.

I care about the woman I’m marrying and the family we’re going to be afterward. Does that make sense?”

My daughter pulled her feet out of the pool and drew her knees up to her chest so she could rest her chin on them. “It makes sense.”

“Good.”

The creases in her forehead disappeared when she smiled at me. “I promise not to tell Verity that you don’t care about the flowers.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, kiddo. She’d have my head if she ever found out.”

“Found out what?”

I turned from the pool to see my beautiful fiancée standing in the open patio doors. She was dressed in a flowing white dress that cut off at her shins and a pair of pointed-toe white pumps that made her already sexy calves look even more alluring.

I pushed myself to my feet and wiped my hands on my pants. “Nothing, sweetheart.”

Verity eyed me suspiciously and then peered past me at Chessie, who hadn’t left her spot by the pool. “Is he telling the truth, Francesca?”

Chessie nodded. “Yep. The whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

I gave my bride-to-be a shit-eating grin. “See? Nothing to worry about here.”

“Good.” Verity tipped her head toward the suite. “Jennifer just arrived and is just using the bathroom. I’d like to head out, Rick.”

I put a hand on Chessie’s shoulder. “Duty calls. I’ll see you later this afternoon. Make sure you have fun with Jennifer today. Eat lots of junk food and break a rule or two while you’re at it, will you? You’re too straitlaced, kid.”

Chessie rolled her eyes at me. “I’m not doing anything that might jeopardize my surprise.”

“Jeopardize, huh?”

“It’s my word of the day.”

Of course it is.

I left Chessie at the pool once Jennifer came out of the bathroom.

I told her to cut loose and have fun this afternoon and that Verity and I could be reached by my cell phone and we wouldn’t be gone too long.

Jennifer thanked me and headed out onto the patio, where I heard her and Chessie giggling like schoolgirls as Verity and I slipped out the front door and made our way to the elevator.

“I’m glad she likes Jennifer so much.” I tucked my hands into my pockets and rocked back on my heels after we got on the elevator.

The doors closed behind us and we began our descent to the lobby.

“I can’t imagine how much more complicated it would be to make this work if she didn’t have a nanny she adored the way she adores Jen. ”

Verity swept her long mane of black hair over her shoulder. “Sometimes, I think she likes Jennifer more than she likes me.”

“What? That’s not true.”

Verity eyed me with a mutinous expression. “Really, Rick? Honestly, for such a successful man, sometimes you can be so clueless. It’s only natural that she would prefer Jen.”

“And why is that?”

Verity shrugged. The doors opened and she walked through. When she spoke, she talked over her shoulder. “It’s simple. Jen isn’t marrying her father.”

I took a few long strides to catch up with my fiancée. “Chessie isn’t jealous, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I’m not implying anything. I’m stating the obvious.

” Verity stopped and turned to me with a small smile lingering on her full glossy lips.

“Don’t worry. It won’t last forever. Once we’re married and she sees that the three of us being together all the time is the new norm, she’ll come around to me.

I promise. She and I will be the best of friends in no time, especially when we give her a little brother or sister. ”

Verity took my hand and led me across the lobby to the coffee bar.

She ordered herself a skinny almond-milk hazelnut latte with no foam and an extra shot.

She made them remake it when they handed it across the counter to her with a thin layer of foam on it.

Then, once she was satisfied, we made our way out the front doors to the limo parked at the curb waiting for us.

The driver opened the back door and we slid in and made ourselves comfortable in the air-conditioned luxurious extended cab.

Verity had her cell phone out by the time we pulled away from the curb. She scrolled through her socials while she sipped her latte.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Kim,” I said.

I hadn’t told her that I’d given Kim a heads-up that Verity might want to change some things, especially with regard to our accommodations.

There were things my bride-to-be didn’t need to know, and that was one of them.

She already had enough on her plate. “I can’t believe how few appointments we have left before the big day. ”

“There’s still a lot to do. We have to review and confirm the harpist’s music set and make sure her dress fits her and—” Verity broke off. Her eyes widened and she let out a sharp gasp. “Oh my God. Have you seen this?”

“Seen what?”

“Look.” She turned her phone around and held it in front of my face, showing me a picture of an ornate white wedding. “Do you believe this? Leave it to Shannon to be an absolute show-stopping diva.”

I frowned. Was I missing something?

Verity caught my blank expression. “You remember me telling you about my father’s best friend’s daughter who got married two weeks ago? Shannon?”

“It’s ringing some bells.”

“This is her wedding. White. It’s all white. The roses, the aisle, the bridal party—all of it! And it looks beautiful. Now we have to do something different.”

“Different?”

Verity rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated groan. “Don’t you pay any attention when I’m talking, Rick? This wedding is supposed to be perfect. How am I supposed to have a perfect wedding when someone else has already done it?”

“I didn’t realize perfection meant exclusivity with decor and—”

“Don’t,” she warned.

I shut my mouth.

Verity put her phone away and glared out the window at the passing palm trees. “I won’t be upstaged by Shannon and her teapot-shaped husband. She’s half the woman I am and she knows it. Our wedding is going to be in magazines, baby. It has to be perfect.”

“It will be.” I took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I promise.”